Erik Said:

Help! Down's Syndrome child?

We Answered:

He clearly needs professional help beyond your abilities that he's not getting. He should be getting much better help in school. I appreciate that you want to help him and you should, but part of his help clearly is needed from the schools. You can certainly consult his teachers and therapists at school for help, it's part of your job. Maybe you can get his mom to push them for more. He may need a psych evaluation because he might have another issue beyond Down syndrome.

He also may have hearing problems. Most people with DS do, and they should be treated aggressively. In England they say that all kids with DS are presumed deaf until proven otherwise. You should check with his teachers and mom about that. There should be a psychologist or behavior specialist in the schools who can help you, and should be helping in school too.

Hearing or not, kids with DS are visual learners, so combine words with pictures to make sentences, along with sign language (he may already know some). And why not use the math problems to your advantage by finding ways to make them into word problems and talk about them?

Sounds like mom needs some counseling of her own too.

Besides all that, see the link below for a good book to help you. Good luck and thanks for going the extra mile!

Velma Said:

Speech Therapy for an infant with Down Syndrome?

We Answered:

You need a physical therapist and not a speech therapist for your baby. That is why she was looking at you like you were crazy. After approx a year old when they child starts to babble and try to put together their first word is when you will need a speech therapist to come in. The physical therapist is the one that will do the massaging and working on your son's muscle tone. So you need to ask your pediatrician to refer you to a Physcial therapist for this. He is too young yet for speech. Their isn't anything for her to do since she only specializing in this area. Hope this helps.

Scott Said:

therapy for down syndrome?

We Answered:

speech therapy for a child diagnosed with DS is nothing! if your child goes through an early intervention program or birth to 3 program offered by the state. if you have insurance your insurance will pick up some of it and the state pays the rest. if you have no insurance the state/county pays for it. I didn't get this information from a website...it is from experience. I am the mom to a little boy with DS and he has been getting physical, speech and occupational therapy since he was 1 month old and I never ever had to pay a dime. and I thank God for the help, otherwise it is 75.00 per hour.

Teresa Said:

speech therapy - down's syndrome : need advice!?

We Answered:

Take her to get another opinion! The school systems suck, that's why I homeschool my 3 girls.

Ray Said:

costs for having a child with down syndrome. please answer ASAP?

We Answered:

Most of these things are covered by insurance and so much depends on the individual issues with the child. I don't think anyone can give you an estimate as everyone's needs are/can be dramatically different. Also much depends on the resources available in your area and the period of time you are looking for. Where we are the school district helps dramatically once the child turns 3 and there are no costs involved with that. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Sheila Said:

What are good topics i could put in my paper about Down Syndrome?

We Answered:

People with DS have various medical issues. How about Ethics...abortion? What life was like 50 years ago for people with DS. Why is it called Down Syndrome? How will the child/adult be cared for when the parents die? What can you do to learn from people with DS.